Stray
by Okori Yo
Summary: A JackiexJack oneshot. Set before the The Empty Child. Read and review please!


Jack whistled a cheery tune as he wandered down one of the many streets of London, looking for a good time. It was modern day; and the con man was taking a break from his usual ventures to try his luck elsewhere. Although, at the moment, the man had nothing to make money off of. All the junk he had come across was useless or too easily recognizable.

Feeling thirsty, he ducked inside a crowded bar and pushed his way up the counter. Elbowing between two customers who were watching the football match up the TV in the corner, he leaned on the counter and signalled to the bartender. Placing his order, Jack scanned the counter while he waited for his drink. There were a few promising guys, but they either had girls wrapped around their necks or were too drunk to have fun with. Darn.

There were hardly any women here, though, which as a shame. Jack was in the mood for some gold old-fashioned fun, but seemed he wasn't going find anything here. Seeing that his beer was ready, Jack grinned and paid for it, slipping away from the counter to find a more private part of the bar. If such a thing was even possible in a place like this…

Apparently, luck was on his side as he spotted an almost-empty booth in a dark corner of the noisy bar. His sharp eyes also picked out that the occupant was a female. Well, wasn't this turning out nicely…

Striding over, the con man put on his most charming smile and gazed down at the woman. "Excuse me, ma'am, but do you mind if I sit here?" he asked politely, motioning to the seat across from her.

The blond looked up at him, red-rimmed blue eyes wary at the sight of a strange man. Then she chuckled an patted the seat beside her. "Well, aren't you a bold man? Sure, you can sit with me." Giggling softly, she moved over some and waited while Jack sat down before continuing. "What's a handsome man like you doing in a place like this?"

"Oh, just trying to earn some cash. I'm a bit short." Jack said with a shrug, looking over his new companion. She appeared to be in her late forties, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in regular clothes of the era; a loose blue T-shirt, black jeans and white trainers. He hair was done up in a messy ponytail, and she had put on a touch of lipstick. All in all, not a bad find.

"Yeah, I know how ya feel…By the way, I'm Jackie Tyler." she said, offering her hand. Accepting it, Jack grinned and replied, "I'm Jack Harkness. Pleasure to meet you, Jackie." It was always nice meeting new people, especially a beautiful woman such as Jackie. Noticing her red eyes, Jack decided to find out why she was upset.

Taking a small sip of the beer, he felt the liquor warm him and slipped and arm around her shoulder. "If you don't mind me asking…were you crying earlier?" Jackie blushed slightly, then nodded. "Yeah, I was…" Dapping at her eyes with a tissue, she sniffled and explained. "My daughter went missing six months ago, and I have no idea whether she is dead or alive. It's like some big bad wolf just snatched her off the face of the earth." sniffling again, she finally gave in and bust into tears, clinging to Jack's shoulder for support. Taken by surprise by the sudden outpouring of emotion, the con man shifted position and wrapped his other arm around Jackie, patting her on the back in an attempt to comfort her.

He had never had a child himself, so he had no idea what Jackie was going through. Jack figured it would be painful to loose someone close to you and have no idea if they are alright. He held her as she sobbed, murmuring words of comfort from time to time. That was one thing he liked about bars; you could do almost whatever you wanted and no one would notice or question you.

After about fifteen minutes of straight crying, Jackie's sobs finally slowed, then stopped altogether. Straightening up, she looked up at Jack and smiled softly. "Sorry about that…I've been doing that off and on since Rose vanished."

"Not a problem, Jackie." Jack replied with a small grin, brushing some strands of hair away from her face. Even when upset, she still looked lovely…unlike many other females he had met. Getting annoyed at the level of noise coming from the zealous football fans in the front, Jack drained the rest of his drink, and muttered invitingly, "Hey, wanna get away from this crowd and take a little walk?"

"Sure, mate. A long walk would do us both some good, eh?" Jackie replied with a sly grin, nudging him out of the booth. Standing up, Jack pushed his way through the screaming crowd of fans, wondering how in the world anyone could hear themselves think in a place like this. Then again, that probably wasn't what you were supposed to do.

Shoving open the door, Jack breathed in deeply, glad to be out of the smoky atmosphere and into the cool London night. Giggling, Jackie grabbed his hand and ran off, pulling Jack along behind. Chuckling, the man followed her, wondering where they were going.

Following Jackie through the dark streets of the city, Jack marvelled once again at the beauty of the place. Sure, some parts looked like a bomb has landed there, but others still held the mystery of years long gone. Coming out from under a shadowed archway, Jack whistled as he caught sight of their destination.

Jackie was leading him towards a small park in a deserted part of London. The park was obviously a children's playground, but due to the late hour, no one was around. The moon had appeared from behind the cover of clouds, and had cast it's silvery light over everything.

In the centre of the park was a bench, and that was where Jackie was pulling him to. The woman suddenly let go of his hand, dashing off towards the bench. Laughing, Jack raced after her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her onto the bench. As it turned out, she also ended up on his lap. Not bad for a split-second move.

Chuckling, Jack grinned down at Jackie, wondering what to do next. Usually he wasn't so indecisive around a woman, but something told the man that his companion was the one making all the decisions. Of course, Jack didn't really care how the arrangements went.

Snuggling closer, Jackie smiled and looped her arms around his neck. Without warning, she pulled his head down and gave him a hard kiss. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Jack pulled her closer and returned the kiss, hearing her moan softly. Suddenly a thought flashed through his mind. _Be gentle…she has fallen far enough_.

Jack usually wasn't the type to play nice in bed, but he trusted his instincts, so he would be gentle…within reason. Running a hand up he back, he slipped his fingers through her hair, the pair exchanging kisses all the while. Shifting so that Jackie was better balanced, he broke away and muttered huskily, "Wanna go somewhere a bit more comfortable? I can rent a hotel room."

Giving him another kiss, the woman replied cheerfully, "No need to do that, mate. My flat is just around the corner." Raising a dark eyebrow, Jack considered the offer, the nodded. He didn't particularly like being in a public spot like this, and a hotel room would be too easy to trace. A run-in with the police wasn't the thing he wanted to do tonight. "That's fine by me."

Grinning, Jackie slid off of his lap and tugged at his hand. "Come on then."

- - -

Five minutes later, Jack was inside her apartment, shrugging off his jacket and shoes, kissing Jackie at the same time. Multi-tasking was no problem for him; he was known in some places to be able to con someone and make out with another person at the same time. Now _that_ was talent. Jack wasn't going to say if it was true or not; some things were better left to rumours.

Pushing him backwards into her bedroom, Jackie licked her lips and quickly unbuttoned Jack's shirt, running her smooth hands over his chest. Sighing with happiness, the con man returned the gesture by tugging off her T-shirt, excitement rising up in him.

The next half-hour was a whirlwind of emotions, sounds and colours. Jack loved every second of it. When it was all over, Jackie was asleep next to him, head resting on his shoulder. Listening to the sound of the London nightlife, Jack smiled in the darkness. Both he and Jackie had enjoyed themselves, although Jackie had been a bit more outgoing than he had expected her to be. Oh well. Shifting slightly, the con man moved the woman's head from his shoulder, resting it gently on the pillow. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he groped for his scattered clothes and quietly got dressed. Although he would have liked to stay longer, he was here on a mission.

Reaching the door, Jack glanced at Jackie's night table, spying her purse. Sighing, he shook his head and continued out the door. Walking the streets, Jack thought about what to do next. He had enough fuel left in his ship to go scavenging for something that might interest the Time Agents; but where to go after that? Pompeii was nice, but he didn't feel like living through a volcanic explosion just yet. World War II was the route to go. The con man would fly up into space, find a nice hunk of garbage, and hurl it at the nearest Time Agent. Quick, easy, and a fast money-maker.

Whistling, he grinned and swung around to the direction of his ship. With any luck, he would never see Jackie Tyler again. Now, he just had to _find_ something to sell. Well, there were plenty of wars going on in the universe; one of them surly must have something he could use.

As London slept, a time vortex opened up miles above it. It glowed for an instant, then vanished. Few noticed, and those who did see the spectacle figured that the alcohol was affecting their eyesight.


End file.
